Patrick Beverley Denies He Tried to Hurt Russell Westbrook

As one might expect, OKC Thunder fans are enraged at Patrick Beverley given that Russell Westbrook hurt his knee when the young Rockets guard went for a steal as Russ prepared to call a timeout in Game 2. Beverley and teammate James Harden feel awful about what happened, but both say there was no malicious intent with Beverley’s aggressive play. Per the Houston Chronicle: “A lot of people do it throughout the league. I don’t go out to try and hurt anybody. I tried to make a play on the ball … ‘It’s an unfortunate situation. You hate to see anyone like that go out. He’s an All Star, a top-3 point guard in the NBA.’ […] Harden on injury: ‘Sad, sad story.’ Of Beverly play: ‘When opponents think a team is going to call time, a guy is going to go for the steal … That happened in so many occasions, not just last game. It happened in so many years in the league.'”